I came to Orlando for the warm weather???

Today would have been my Dad’s 83rd birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!

I want to wish all of you a very wonderful New Year. I hope that you and your family are granted bountiful blessing is 2011!

I went to my 1st Hopkins Christmas party on Sunday 12/19 at the Help Age Center (Senior Center) with Ron and Conan. I guess now that I’m old I can legally join in their fun (I turned 60 on 12/22). I met a lot of very nice people, both locals and ex-pat Americans and French. Dinner was turkey, ham, potato salad, pasta, and of course rice and beans, plus beer and soda. I was doing OK until the Anisette came out… Needless to say I slept like a log. Thank God I don’t get hang-overs!

I’m in the states now and it feels so weird! One of the hardest things to get used to is wearing shoes again. In Belize you can go into most places barefoot, including restaurants. Most of the restaurants will even serve you sans shirt. I’ve even been in the American Embassy twice barefooted. Here in the U.S. everyone wants your feet and chest covered. Of course there is more broken glass and rough pavement here and less sandy roads and floors so it’s an incentive to wearing some form of foot wear if nothing else than to not leave bloody footprints behind you. I think the only reason for the shirt is to be fair to women who have to keep their breasts covered. Hey why not just make it optional??? I see plenty of uncovered women at Kismet, although they are almost always Europeans. They have a different idea of what is acceptable beachwear. We Americans are much more prudish than they are. To me it’s no big deal. When Dave and I were in Playa Del Carmen there were 6 young British women lounging just below our room topless and it was no big deal. Neither he nor I stared and they just sat there reading and talking, minding their own business. It was an American woman who convinced the hotel that it wasn’t proper and they were forced to don their tops. So, anyway, I brought the “Jesus” sandals that Ron gave me and a pair of sneakers that I hope not to have to take out of my suitcase. I checked the weather before leaving and the Orlando forecast showed 70’s and low 80’s for the next 10 days so I might not suffer too bad having to wear my sandals. I’ve always been a proponent of bare feet since I moved to Orlando the 1st time in 1987 and when we lived in Alpharetta GA for 5 years. I just hate the restrictive feeling of enclosed feet for some reason. I met a Canadian couple in the Belize City airport who have a house in San Pedro on Ambergris and they said the same thing about it feeling odd wearing shoes again. They though, are headed home for the holidays and MUCH colder weather. They’ll be back in a month though.

I’m staying in Sanford Fl at my son Rich’s studio apartment, sleeping on my blow up mattress, and getting to see TV whenever I want and having a wonderful visit. I really don’t miss TV though. The past few weeks I’ve even been without my movies because of the cool people staying at Kismet. (Conan was talking about extending his stay so I may see him when I get back.) Rich and I plan dinner tomorrow (Tuesday) at a restaurant that he’s been itching to try, The Ravenous Pig (www.theravenouspig.com), that serves locally grown veggies. Matt and I will hit the Route 46 restaurant for one of my “must eats”, all you can eat BBQ ribs. I’ll miss taking Carrie to the Cracker Barrel though for her Chicken/Broccoli casserole because of scheduling conflicts, but did make up for it by taking her to see the latest Harry Potter movie and a nice sushi dinner, with dessert in an Irish Pub (me a Guinness of course and Carrie a Bailey’s and a bread pudding). Today (Monday 12/27) it’s FREEZING!!! It was 31 degrees when I woke up and it’s 37 right now. Rich’s heater doesn’t work well so I’m thinking about checking us into a local hotel for the rest of my stay. I had to run off to the library just to warm up!

I’m downloading as many movies as I possibly can before returning to 13 Casa Del Mar (my trailer home). My daughter Carrie is downloading the latest TV series episodes that I follow (Warehouse 13, Fringe, Dexter, etc) as well as some of the new ones. But TV and watching movies has become less and less important to me over the past couple of months. I’m deep into my 5am and 5pm fishing and that doesn’t leave much time for anything else. When I get back the place should be jumping and in January some of the regular guest, like Bruce, will be returning and I’ll be in the thick of it with them too. But I do lend Tricia and others copies of my downloads, and they’ve seen much of the 650 that I already have, so I need some new stuff.

Carrie and I plan to go to Disney to see the Christmas lights on Thursday 12/30. It’s always a nice thing to see as they do such a nice job there. It all started years ago with the Osborn Family lights and they’ve expanded it every year so now it’s several million lights. They do the soap bubble snow on the main movie set street too.

And so, life, and good eats, goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Another day in a life...

JP and Renny from Montreal, Conan, Tricia, and I went on a snorkel/fishing trip to the reef on Saturday 12/18 and had a great time. We got to the marina earlier than Patrick (our boat capt.) so I started fishing right off the bank. The 4 of them all made their comments about how I just couldn’t wait and how I wasn’t going to catch anything so it was a waste of time. Boy did I fool them! Not 5 minutes into it I hooked and landed a 9lb 12oz 3foot long barraCuda. My comment was, "Oh you non-believers!” They just don’t understand that “fish fear me and men envy me” when it comes to my fish catching ability! I laughed the rest of the day over it. It actually turned out to be the biggest fish of the day. While JP and Conan fished a bit they were more interested in snorkeling. JP was now hooked on fishing though. Again, while he has fished a bit, he never truly got into it. Seeing me catch the Cuda sure changed his mind. Conan and I watched as he mastered the art of tossing a lure from one of the docks on Bread & Butter Caye and both commented on how he was hooked. While I was filleting the fish he even commented on how he was going to buy a rod and reel on Sunday. Anyway, as soon as we docked on B&B I started throwing lures. While Zeppi was here he left me with a bunch of lures that I fell in love with, and caught great fish on, so I was throwing my favorite, a Kastmaster single hook feathered lure that I’d caught several snook and jacks, and the Cuda at the marina on. A minute later I landed a 10” Sand Diver that wasn’t much bigger than the lure. Ugly as sin and great sharp teeth! It looked like a prehistoric fish. I had to ask what it was because I’d never seen, or caught, one before. The tide was low and the water shallow so I didn’t get the big Cudas following my lures. Patrick was floating out in the water trying to fix his engine so I called him over and we went back out to the deeper water so I could fish while he continued his repairs. Everyone else except Tricia and I went snorkeling and loved it. Me, I just threw and didn’t catch anything. After lunch we headed out for some trolling and more snorkeling. At one point it was just Trish and I trolling but not catching anything while the other 3 swam. I did get a few hits and finally caught another Sand Diver about the same size as the 1st one. (Conan made the same remarks I did after seeing it.) Finally a big hit and I landed my only other big fish of the day, a 4lb 10oz Caravelle Jack. Unless the line broke I wasn’t losing that fish because it took both treble hooks deep in its mouth. Thanks Zeppi for your 8” silver finish minnow lure! Our dinner was assured now with 2 nice fish in the cooler. That proved to be the last fish of the day too. But, again, that insured JP’s new found love of fishing. I love introducing people to the activity I love so much and seeing them enjoy it.

Lagoon fishing has been exemplary lately. Tarpon, snook, and jacks all running at the same time; either onto or out of the lagoon, both early morning and early evening. Zeppi and I have been catching almost enough to feed our crowd of 8 with our daily catches. Tonight (12/15) Conan has a jack to throw in the pan. He caught his 1st last night and was a VERY happy boy! He was laughing about wanting to “catch like the big boys” (Zeppi and me) because he’s only caught catfish in the lagoon. He did make a reef trip and did catch a barraCuda so he’s at least caught something bit I know how it is to see others catching while your hook stays shiny and bright. So no he’s one of the big boys! Hopefully that will keep up. Zeppi hooked a small tarpon this morning that broke off so both of us came home empty handed. Tricia and I have enough fish in our freezers for group dinner today but we need to get some fish on the stringer tonight or it will be chicken for dinner tomorrow…

We’ve had a really nice crew of people staying at Kismet of late, some staying in rooms, others camping on the beach but all interesting and fun. One of the guests, Rob (he goes by Red because of his red hair) drove from Florida with his 2 dogs Tootsie and Onyx. A few days ago Tootsie, a Daschund, went missing. Were all concerned but Rob, of course, is devastated. He’s been papering Hopkins and Dangriga with handouts announcing a BZ$200 reward. That is a lot of money here so everyone is looking. But so far nothing. Please say a prayer that Rob gets his kid back. He’s such a nice guy. Thanks!

Zeppi left on Saturday 12/18 and I missed him as soon as he left. I did howere buy his fishing rod and he gifted me a bunch of lures that I liked, and what I used to catch my fish that day. Sadly I lost my favorite of the lures fishing the reef. I added it to my Orlando shopping list. Conan is still here to share fishing with and will be may be here still when I get back. He's mulling over buying land or possibly having a Mennonite house delivered to Tricia's property. His moving here would be great. We hit it off as soon as we met and have been constant fishing companions. He reminds me so much of my friend Joe from Orlando that it's scary. He's a born near Chicago, grew up in the D.C. area and now lives in Utah. I don't hold any of the last 2 locations against him though...

I’m readying myself for my trip home, putting together all my travel docs and packing a few clothes. I left some clothing with my son Rich last time I was there so plan to use those plus buy a few things so I can travel from Hopkins more lightly. I now have a doc that says I lease property and the tax doc that shows I paid duty on my trailer. That, plus my monthly visa stamps, should meet the Belize government requirement for having a return ticket to the states without having a resident card. I got caught up in that the last time I came back and had to buy a 1 way return ticket for US$691. That’s what I’m using for this trip. The round trip fare was US$7 more. Anyway, it will be good to be back in the land of my kids, better junk food (I have my “must eat” list all ready!), and more fishing tackle. Coming back to Belize I’m allowed two 50lb checked bags and, as always, I’ll fill my suitcases to the max! I carry a folding duffel inside my large check bag, and carry my 2 carry-ons so I have plenty of packing space. This time though I’ll have to buy a new large suitcase because the wheels broke off in Playa Del Carmen last time I was there. Cobbled roads are very hard on the wheels…

And so, life, and good eats, goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Fishing, fishing, and more fishing

I finally trapped my last mouse using a string on the handles of the bag he was crawling in. I was napping on my couch when I heard something rustling. I thought at first that it was the wind in the leaves but then I realized it was in the garbage bag I keep in my sink. I looked over and saw the bag moving. Getting up from my couch made too much noise and he ran away. See I keep a small garbage bag in my sink for the compost waste I generate when I make my meals. Anyway…I thought of a plan for trapping him. I tied the 2 bag handles together and put the bag back in the sink with just a small opening for him to enter through. I passed a string through the upper cabinet handles and tied it to the bag handles. When he crawled in again I pulled the string, the bag flew up 1 foot off the sink, and he got trapped in the bottom of the bag. I took him outside and… (You make up the answer you like the best. I either set him free or smashed him into mouse pudding.) Hopefully he was the last one. He was too smart to walk on the sticky traps they sell here. I just got back from visiting Ron in Corozal for 3 days (actually I rode up with him…more later) and it looks like I may have another one. Hopefully Zeppi will be bringing REAL traps with him today. (He forgot.)

The Austrians left this morning (12/5) and it’s pretty quiet now. They were such a nice group of kids and we’ll miss them. Last night was Kathryn’s birthday and we went as a group to the Driftwood Pizza joint to celebrate. Tricia even baked a rum cake which Elvis delivered after it cooled. Lots of food and drink and a great time was had by all! Kathryn traveled off to Honduras to catch her return flight and Lisa, Julia, and Hans Peter to Cancun for theirs. There was a bit of confusion though. No one remembered that it was Sunday and the Hopkins bus to Dangriga doesn’t run Sunday mornings. So Tricia called Patrick to act as a taxi service so they didn’t waste the morning. Cancun is a good 8 hour, 2 bus, trip and I’m not sure how long to Honduras but it has to be at least equally as long. Now we’re waiting for Zeppi and Louie to make their appearances…

Tricia baked Kathryn’s cake in a Pyrex bowl that literally exploded when she took it out of the oven and placed it on top of the stove. Luckily she wasn’t hurt and the glass when everywhere but on the cake. She plopped the cake into a rectangular pan and added the rum sauce. While it wasn’t particularly pretty to look at it was still delicious and we all had a good laugh over it. I held a hurricane lantern over it so Kathryn had a candle to blow out and she actually did it! So I guess her birthday wish will come true.

I took a ride up to Corozal with Ron on Monday (12/6), to look at the truck his boss is selling, and stayed until Thursday (I took the bus home). It’s an ’87 Ford F250 XLT Club Cab, 4X4, diesel, 4 speed manual, and it’s in really good condition. The only problem with it is that the actuator for the clutch pedal needs to be replaced (master and slave). We tried to fix it by replacing the hose that connects the 2 (one is in the engine compartment and the other down below) because we did find a crack. That didn’t fix the problem though so Ron is going to take a ride to either Orange Walk BZ or Chetumal MX to get the parts. I told him not to hurry because I won’t be back up until after I come back from Orlando in early January. I did leave a small deposit though so the truck IS mine.
Zeppi, his brother-in-law Louie, Louie’s son Louie and his son Max and Max’s wife Robin all arrived from Dangriga on the 5:15pm Hopkins bus and at Kismet around 7pm on Thursday 12/9. Introductions all around because I’d only met Zeppi before but had emailed with Louie Jr. I quickly learned they are a nice bunch of people. The 4 newbies are staying at least a month while poor Zep has only 10 days to stay out of cold and snowy NJ. Everyone but Zep were supposed to drive down here with a trailer (remember I mentioned about possibly having a trailer buddy a few blogs ago?) but because of the drug war in Matamoros MX the border has been closed a few times and travelers advised not to cross into Mexico from Brownsville. So they drove to Ft. Lauderdale FL and that’s where they parked the trailer. Little did they know they would meet Robert, who had also arrived that day, who had just driven through Matamoros a few days before. Oh well… Zeppi and family all stayed in the large 3 room. 4 bed room. Friday morning found Zep and I at the lagoon with Peter around 5am and Zep soon had a 3 pound jack on the shore. (It made a nice breakfast for us all.) While we were at the lagoon we booked my fishing buddy Damascus for a reef fishing trip at 7am on Saturday. Louie and Max showed up a few minutes later but the fish has gone to sleep and we walked home. Louie, Max & Robin had been to Hopkins 2 years before and rented a house on the south end for 6 months so after breakfast (around 10am) we all took a walk down (south) the beach so they could renew old acquaintances and look for another house to rent. Two hours and 6 or 7 stops later, plus a few stops for beer at the stores, we finally left the beach for the main road and the trip north for more visits and beers. We also stopped at Kaitlin’s bakery so Zep could order his carrot cake birthday cake for Saturday. Anyway Zep and I left them after another 45 minutes (around 2pm) so Zep could start lunch, which actually turned into dinner at 6pm. They were all stopping to talk to someone they were told may have a place to rent. They finally came back around 2:15pm with the news that they had rented a 2 bedroom house 12 houses south of Kismet and right on the beach. They immediately packed and moved into the house. So now there are only 4 guests remaining, Conan, Robert, and a young Greek lady from Holland named, Sadie and its much quieter now. Zep says he will finally get a good night’s sleep because the 4 others snore terribly.

Saturday 12/11, Zeppi’s 45th birthday, found us being picked up on the Kismet beach by Damascus for our fishing trip. A cold front had come through so the fish were pretty closed mouthed. Zep did catch his 1st barracuda, and, I also didn’t know that it was his 1st trip out to the reef to fish so it was doubly nice to see him and his 1st catch. He also caught a couple red snapper when we fished the 200 foot drop-off. I trolled a houndfish (like a barracuda but with a gar type mouth) and also caught a yellowtail snapper. At least we had enough to feed 11 people and I have 3 red snapper dinners in my freezer. We’ve been fishing the lagoon every morning at 5am and every evening at 5pm. Zeppi has caught 2 jacks about 3 pounds each while I’ve caught nothing. Conan went on a snorkel/diving/fishing trip to the reef with the Austrians and Conan caught a barracuda. So he’s at least caught more than the 3 catfish he got on his 1st and 2nd lagoon trips. He and Zeppi have been keeping my crab traps busy and have a nice pile of blue and red crabs to boil up. Zeppi’s family members haven’t caught anything but swear that they will because they bought US$700 worth of new fishing gear before coming to Hopkins. They’ll be here for a while so maybe I’ll be able to get them on a reef fishing trip to end their dry spell. It’s funny but we’ve been fishing every 12 hours the past few days. We start at 5am and fish until about 7 or 7:30am and then again in the evening from 4:30pm until about 6:30pm. It’s a great way to spend the day but with Zeppi and family, Conan, and Robert here I’ve not gotten in my normal naps and reading in the hammock lately. My body is starting to tell me how old I am because of those missed naps. But I wouldn’t miss a minute of time with all of these folks!

A good fishing day for Zeppi, Louie Jr. and me! Louie caught his 1st Belizean fish, a small barracuda and Zeppi added to his stringer with a 4lb 13oz black snapper. I started the day with a 4lb 8oz caravelle jack in the morning (Zeppi was too hung over to join Conan and me) and finished the night with a 4lb 3oz snook. My jack was part of tonight’s communal dinner and the 2 from tonight are a start toward tomorrows. We’ve all been congregating at Louie’s house for most meals and having a great time. Zeppi is too good a cook and I’m sure I’ll be commenting on how he needs to leave because we’re all gaining weight from his cooking. He laughingly reminds me that I wrote the same thing in this blog when he was here in April. If anything his cooking is better that April so I’m sure I’m gaining back some of the 30 pounds I’ve lost. Thank God he doesn’t live here!

And so, life, and good eats, goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

A new friend...

I'm sitting at Thong's Cafe in long pants and a long sleeve shirt freezing today! A cold front moved through during the night and with the dampness it's downright chilly. Conan (more on him later) is sitting here in tee shirt and shorts but admits it's a bit chilly. At least it's good sleeping weather...

I've met a new friend here at Kismet this week. His name is Conan and he is from the D.C. area. He drove into Kismet on Tuesday and it was another case of “I know you!”. He reminds me so much of my friend Joe in looks, voice, and actions that it’s scary. We’ve not had a chance to cement our friendship though fishing though because it’s been raining every day. We make plans and have to change them at the last minute. We’ll get there though. He’s here until the 26th or so. Since Zeppi will be here, and we’ll get in some reef fishing, maybe we’ll break the jinx yet. (Actually I’ll be leaving for Orlando on 12/21 so we have 1 less week to accomplish our mission.) Today (Thursday 12/2) we took a long ride along the beach road looking for beachfront property for him to buy and had a great day. I’d love it if he moved here permanently! The 3 girls and the guy from Austria are still here too and making things interesting. They are a fun bunch and with Conan here too it's been a lively place. I think they only have another day or 2 here before 3 of the 4 have to head back home. Sad to say their last week has been plagued by rain but they did enjoy their snorkeling/fishing trip the other day. Hans-Peter caught a barracuda, as did Tricia, and the also caught 3 porgeys. So, needless to say, dinner that night was great.

I've given up hope on the Jeep, and the Toyota T100 (here in Hopkins) is too light to pull my trailer, so I'm headed to Corozal on Saturday morning to see the 2 trucks that Ron's boss is selling. Keep your fingers crossed please! It would be nice to have a vehicle again that I can use to move my trailer before a storm and to see more of Belize. It's tough having to rely on the buses.

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Thanksgiving & more fishing...

Here’s an odd bit, and I can’t believe I’m writing this. You all know how much I love to fish, and how I look forward to fishing the reef. Well tonight (Friday 11/26) I passed up a chance because…now get this…my freezer is still full! I have almost 2 weeks of frozen fish stockpiled and nowhere else to store more. Even Tricia’s is full. There is a Danish couple who are taking a snorkel trip out to the reef tomorrow and once they are dropped off at Bread & Butter I’d have the boat to myself for 5 hours. I know I can do a lot of damage in 5 hours because I’ve proved it. But I’m not a catch and release kind of guy when it comes to the delectable assortment I’d catch out there. It would gall me no end to throw fish back, except those that are illegal like tarpon. Anything else would bring visions of fish in the fry pan and make my mouth water. So…I’ve declined the trip and I’ll wait for Zeppi to get here, and make sure my freezer has plenty of room. And the story continues…

I woke up at 7:35 and quickly decided I would be a fool to miss a chance to fish the reef, no matter how full my freezer was, and quickly got ready for the 8am departure. Ed and Mieke, a really delightful couple from The Netherlands (Holland) staying at Kismet, were the cause of the trip because they wanted to snorkel the reef. Ed had told me how he’d NEVER been fishing before. Well, we had to fix that didn’t we? So I asked Tricia to call Patrick, the boat captain who was picking us up in his car, to bring his 2 fishing rods. Off we went and, just as we were nearing the reef, a torrential downpour started. Patrick docked at a small Caye with a house on it and everyone, except me, ran for cover. Me? I immediately began fishing off the dock of course! I got several hits and many more follows. I did have a small barracuda on for a few seconds but couldn’t land anything. The rain finally stopped and we all piled back into the boat. Patrick took us to Southwater Caye and netted some sardines for bait, with Mieke mentioning that she’d never seen one that wasn’t in a can. Too funny!!! I fished while Patrick netted. More follows and a few hits but nothing in the boat. At least Ed and Mieke got a chance to see their 1st barracuda up close and personal. A few minutes later Ed and I had bait in the water. I was the 1st to catch and it was a nice barracuda. I was also the 2nd, another barracuda that Tricia got a nice video of. She caught a couple of jumps it made before I finally got it over the side. Ed had lost a few sardines to short striking fish but finally hooked, and landed, his 1st ever fish, a 2 foot barracuda. He was a happy guy! My next fish hit and I was enjoying a nice fight when all of a sudden the line went slack. I knew by the weight that I still had something on the hook. What I pulled up was the head of a snapper. Some MUCH larger fish had bitten off the entire body! (I’ve posted a picture of it.) Judging by the size of the snapper we figured that the fish had to have at least a 6 inch mouth. We also guessed that it was a barracuda and not a shark. So it had to be a monster because, even the biggest barracuda we’ve caught to date, hadn’t had a mouth more that 3 or 4 inches. So I’m crying about another fish that got away, although, with my hook already in the snappers mouth, I couldn’t have hooked the 2nd fish. But I can still dreaming! And, one day soon, I will land one of the really big fish and put an end to the scoffing I get from you doubting Pats, Jays, Daves, and Zeppis. Third trip is the charm??? Anyway Ed and Mieke got 2 snorkel trips in and loved them. They were amazed at the different corals and the fish they saw. We had more heavy rain while they were in the water and some on the way back and I filleted the fish in a rain that felt like someone was pouring buckets of water over my head. Mieke had a pretty good laugh over it as she stood in the relative dryness under the palapa. All in all it was a great trip, especially since I got to introduce someone to my favorite past time of fishing and he and his wife got to eat his 1st catch for dinner. Next trip to the reef is with Zeppi and Louie in December.

Ron missed our Thanksgiving feast because he had work responsibilities in Corozal on Thursday. He did make it home around 10pm though. He missed an absolutely scrumptious meal too. We had an international gathering of people from England (Sonia); Canada (Dave and Lilly); and Barry, Tricia, and I from the states. Dave also brought his Belizean girlfriend. So it was a nice crowd and we had a great time. Our menu consisted of a 14 pound turkey (Tricia and I split the cost), stuffing, mashed potatoes (my contribution), broccoli and cauliflower with hollandaise sauce, a cold sweet potato dish (Dave), and cake (Barry). The ladies brought the drinks. Peter and his family had other obligations. Ike (from Tennessee) and Charles (from France), who are our farmer friends never made it and we haven’t found out why yet. We ate at 2:30 and I finally had my sandwich (see my last post) around 9pm. I also had one for breakfast in the morning. Tricia also made us a turkey pot pie for lunch. The bones are already soup and that will be a snack after she and her guests come back from the reef on Saturday.

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Happy Thanksgiving and the rain has stopped...

I want to wish everyone, and their families, a very happy Thanksgiving. Blessings to you all!

It’s been raining for days now. It started last Thursday and today is Sunday and there’s no let up in sight. I guess I jinxed us when I said in my last blog that I hoped it stopped raining so the parade could be held on Garifuna Day (Friday). Well it started raining right after that and hasn’t stopped but for a few minutes at a time since and G-Day was mostly rained out. Some of the cultural dances and drumming took place but that was about it. I woke up Sunday at 6:15am and didn’t hear any rain. I did hear the drums of a funeral at the end of our road (someone died last Thursday), but there wasn’t the sound of rain on my metal roof, so I thought I might go to the lagoon and fish. Not 5 minutes later the rain started again so I guess my jinx must still be holding still. At least it’s not flooding (I sure hope I didn’t jinx myself again!). It’s Monday and its still raining but I have to go to Dangriga for my monthly visa update. Good thing I have a ride! More showers on Tuesday so more movies and reading in my trailer… Wednesday dawned sunny and dry!

We bought a 14 pound turkey and a couple cans of cranberry sauce Monday but couldn’t find any sweet potatoes. We’ve never seen canned pumpkin, Tricia for 12 years, so she’s baking a cake. It will be sad not to have pumpkin pie though. So it looks like our menu is roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, salad, and cake. Ron will be back from Corozal for a while so he’ll be here for dinner. I know she’s invited several others but don’t know where the invitations stand. It will be nice to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal (well almost) and, as always, I’ll be looking forward to my favorite holiday sandwich…turkey on white bread with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mayo. It’s funny but sometimes I think that I Iook forward to the sandwiches more than the dinner. It will be sad not seeing my kids for this holiday but in less than a month I’ll be back in Orlando for 13 days and will see them and we’ll have Christmas together.

Finally, I’d like to ask you, as you pray for all of our family and friends with issues, to please add my brother David, my cousin Ed (on Mom’s side), and my friend Sheila’s sister to your prayer lists. All are suffering VERY serious health issues. Thanks so much!

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Garifuna Day

Today (Friday 11/19) is Garifuna Landing Day, when they 1st arrived in Belize. The Garifuna people are the largest ethnic culture in Belize. There are also Mayans and Cajun Blacks. While Landing Day is celebrated all over the country Hopkins is considered the cultural center of the country. There was a recreation of the boat landing (I’m told that it is “attempted” by the same 4 drunken men every year) early this morning and later will be drumming, singing, dancing, storytelling, and mass quantities of food. And, as with every other holiday in Belize, copious amounts of alcohol. The celebration actually spans the weekend. There will be an international full house here at Kismet for that. Five people camping (from England) under the sea grape trees on the beach, 1 other person from England enjoying 1 of the rooms, French and Austrian couples, and 2 local friend of Tricia’s from San Ignacio. I actually met up with the French and Austrian couples waiting for the bus from Dangriga on Wednesday evening and escorted them here. All in all it should be an interesting and fun weekend. Bad thing is we had torrential rains last night until 9am this morning. Hopefully it won’t rain anymore today.

I got an email from our friend Zeppi on the 17th that was an invitation to go fishing on 12/9. He was here for a week in late March and we had a great time fishing together. He’s coming to Kismet for a another week and will be spending his birthday here (12/11). His brother Louie is supposed to be here late in November, driving a pickup/camper and will be parking here for a while. So I guess I know about when my next reef fishing trip will be… Can’t wait to see Zep again too! Last night Dwayne, the owner of Bread & Butter Caye, stayed at Kismet on his way back to the states. I’ve met him a few times and he’s a really nice guy. Anyway, he’s invited me out for a couple of days starting 1/9 to fish with him. Can’t wait!

Tricia bought a butane (they don’t use propane in Belize) hot water heater from a shop in Dangriga a few weeks ago and it’s finally been installed in the shower outside the cabana (the shower under the stars). It’s been a little tough taking showers now that the cooler weather is here because there’s not enough heat from the sun to warm the 2 cisterns up on the roof. I have to admit I’ve been hesitant about taking showers a time or two because I expected to come back with icicles hanging. Lord knows I’ve done plenty of the “cold water 2 step these past few weeks! But tonight I was able to take a hot shower for the 1st time and TRULY enjoyed it. She had originally planned to install it in the shower under the house but there wasn’t enough water pressure to turn the unit on. So the only time we won’t be taking showers is when it’s raining…

Kismet has had a nice bunch of guests of late. Matt and Angie, who left on the 16th; Ike and Charles, who are building an organic farm 2 miles into the jungle out around mile 28 on the Hummingbird Hwy and left on the 14th; and William, a Frenchman here to film Belizean cultural things, who is still here. They are all very interesting people. I spent a few hours talking to Ike about his venture. He is building their house and outbuildings right now and clearing the land. His dream is to open his farm up to Woofers (World Organization of Organic Farmers). Woofers are people who donate their time and energy to learn about organic farming and living off the land in return for food and lodging and Ike is well known for his teachings. There is a website that they all join and blog their thoughts on farms they did or didn’t enjoy, things they found interesting, and the like. He and Tricia have worked out a deal where the women who come will be hosed here at Kismet and have the use of a car and he and his group will start part of the farm here. I’ll get a plot too so I’ll finally have my garden plus learn about organics. The plan is to start sometime in March/April. He also hunts wild animals, among them pig, for his own food and I said I’d trade him fish for pig. So I’ll get to try something different.

Thanksgiving is coming up and we’re planning a traditional U.S. feast. I’m going ½ on the turkey with Tricia and of course will be cooking something to add to the menu. At this point she hasn’t invites anyone yet but Ron will be here, and maybe Barry, and she said she was going to invite Peter and his family plus a few other friends. I’m sure Peter’s kids will be asking where the rice and beans are! They will definitely not on the menu!

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Fishing!!!

I guess I must have more than 1 mouse living in my trailer with me. They do all look the same. I’m always very careful about cleaning up immediately following a meal, not leaving any food out of the fridge or the 2 cabinets that entirely sealed, and my garbage can tightly sealed for just that reason, and, of course, the numerous bugs that forever inhabit my surroundings. So far I’ve killed 3 using glue traps. I can’t find any real mouse traps, you know, the kind that you hear go snap when one of the little critters tries to make a meal of the bait. So I bought what all the grocery stores carry. Plastic trays with a gluey surface infused with a peanut butter smell. And I add a bit of the real thing so they are sure to get greedily hungry. The bad thing is that they get stuck to the glue on the plastic and squirm about, sticking various parts of their bodies to the tray, kind of like the old Mister Twister game where the players put a hand or foot on the color circle that the spinning arrow identifies, until I send them to mouse heaven. That can be hours. It’s not a very humane way to handle the problem. If it were a person the ACLU would be all over that form of execution. Personally I’d rather let the machine do the dirty deed. So, normal mouse traps are on my shopping list for my Christmas visit to the states. No telling how many I’ll have to send off the glue trap way until then. Everyone I’ve talked to says that I’ll never be mouse free as long as the weather is cool because they will gnaw their way into a place they think is warm and safe. Here I thought I had done a good job of sealing all the holes but it was just the hot weather that kept them outside. These guys have no fear either! I was sitting on my couch at the kitchen table watching a movie Thursday night (11/5) and saw one climbing over the stuff I have stored under my kitchen table, just 2 feet from me! I banged my hand on the table top and it went running. And I’ve seen them scurrying between my linen closet and bathroom which is only 10 feet away. So that means I’ll probably have guests until next February when the temperatures will head back into the high 90’s…

Fishing has been fun and on Thursday (11/11) a group of us took a trip to the reef for the big ones and caught 15! The group included Matt and Angie from Tennessee, who are staying at Kismet until next Friday; and, of course, Tricia and me. I’ve been catching the usual at the lagoon, nice eating size but nothing to write home about so I was looking forward to trolling for barracuda again. I hooked 6 different type of fish, and landed 5, starting with the 1st fish to be caught, a small needle nose gar, that went right back home. I also caught the 2nd fish which was a nice barracuda. Matt jumped right in and we started catching barracuda left and right. He had never been salt water fishing so it was cool to watch the fun he was having. My next surprise was a yellow snapper, a nice looking fish with a yellow strip down its side (I caught 2 of them and Matt caught 1 too). Next came a nice (see the pictures) mutton snapper. I didn’t know what I’d hooked and everyone was watching me fight it. It was making tremendous runs that I had trouble stopping. I’d also mentioned that it had been a long time since I’d caught a king mackerel. Don’t you know it, the next fish was a really nice 30 incher that gave me such a huge fight. In between those we caught a bunch of barracuda. I know I’m going to get some emails from you fellow fisherman but I hooked and almost landed a 5 foot, 20 pound barracuda. Everyone was in awe of that baby! Tricia struggled to get her camera out but missed the shot when our captain lifted the monster out of the water, it spit the hook, and he dropped it! I was heartbroken, as was everyone else. Some of our fishing was done in down pours. Matt and I were fine but Tricia and Angie were hugging each other to keep warm. Angie did try her hand at fishing though and hooked a barracuda that was too strong for her so Matt landed it for her. Toward the end of the day we went to Bread & Butter Caye for Matt and Angie to snorkel and for us all to have lunch. No one was home but since we know the owner, Dwayne, and caretaker King we are welcome to use the place. We no sooner got on land then I was fishing again and hooked and landed my biggest barracuda of the day, and for a few minutes the biggest fish of the day. While I was pulling it in I saw 4 other barracuda swimming around it, one bigger than the next. I gave my rod to Matt and he did hook and land the biggest of all the fish. It’s funny that we caught the biggest fish from dry land. I took my rod back and tossed another bait filled hook out that was immediately slammed by a fish! The 1st run was a full 50 yards straight out to sea. Then it jumped and we got a look at a really HUGE tarpon, easily 4 or 5 feet (hard to tell from that distance bit we all agree)! There was no way I was going to stop that baby! It had the line screaming off my reel and was headed straight out to sea. It jumped completely out of the water 2 more times. The 3rd time is when it broke my line and headed for deep water. I think all of us were cried when that happened. It was the biggest, heaviest, fish I’ve ever hooked. I’m still crying over the 2 that got away. After that Matt and Angie snorkeled and I couldn’t catch a thing. Soon we headed back to Kismet, in another downpour, and a fresh fish dinner. I filleted enough for dinner and by then it was dark and raining once again so I’ll have to do the rest in the morning. But we had a great time and Matt has some whopper fish stories to tell everyone when he gets home. I'll add more pictures on Facebook.

And so, life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Tricia is back and another tale of woe is me…

Tricia made her triumphal return to Kismet early Saturday afternoon (10/30). She’s been gone almost 2 months and it’s really good to have her home again. She flew into Cancun on Thursday, spent 1 night in Playa Del Carmen, took the bus to Corozal and spent the night with Ron, and then they drove back to Hopkins together on Saturday. She brought goodies for everyone too. I got a nice prison outfit, without any identifying labels that will be perfect on those buggy nights. Peter and family got cream rinses, shoe laces (very hard to find here), and other goodies.

My uninvited guest definitely WAS a mouse, was being the operative word. He or she is now in mouse heaven and I’ve blocked the hole in the bottom of the trailer so that I don’t get any guests that I don’t want. I’ve fixed my, and Kismet’s, electrical problems and had my jack handle repaired too so I can raise and lower my trailer again and I’m now in a level house again.

And my tale of woe… I finally lost my awning. Third time opening it here at Kismet was the charm. We had a massive thunderstorm between 4 and 5am on Friday 10/29 and we were hit with a microburst wind (directly downward blowing wind) and the 3 support bars folded and snapped causing it to collapse. I had it tied down very well so it would be ok in normal wind storm but not a microburst. So now, not only don’t I have my palapa overhead, but I have no awning shade either. The good thing is that it didn’t cause any tears in my outside walls. There isn’t any way to have it fixed either because they don’t sell or service RVs here and the import tax on having a new one shipped would be outrageous. I can use a couple of the original awning supports to hang tarps temporarily but I’ll have to have my palapa rebuilt at some point in time for more permanent shade.

I’m looking at this latest setback as just another test of my resolve to live semi-roughly out of the country, where things like repairs we could easily make in the states aren’t as readily available or even possible at all. My take on it is that there is always a work-around, like rebuilding the palapa roof that will serve the same purpose as the awning. As with the 2 blown tires several months ago, I planned for most incidents by having multiple replacement parts, like 2 spare tires for both the jeep and trailer and 6 or 7 heavy duty tarps. It’s all in the planning that you do when you decide to live in a 3rd world country. Contingencies and work-arounds for almost anything that can befall you have to be in your “what do I do if” book that you create for just such emergencies. I did all that pre-planning before I moved and am ready for most anything that can happen short of losing my trailer. I’m not getting too upset by the setbacks. I’d be lying if I said that some of the things that have happened didn’t upset me. I’m still human. But I know that I’m passing the test because things like this, which would have REALLY upset me in my former life, are now just a part of life and I accept them and move on.

Things have gotten back to normal in Hopkins since the storm a few days ago. Most cell (except for Smart which is what I have and is on again off again) and land line telephone service and electric are back to normal. A few roofs, including Peter’s, had minor damage and all have been repaired. The damaged roofs were all tin ones that the wind got under and lifted. Peter also lost 2 trees and a few other people lost some too. But thankfully no homes were blown off their stilts and no flooding in the village and there were no deaths attributed to hurricane anywhere in Belize. God was surely with us. I haven’t been able to resume my early morning canoe fishing though. The surf wasn’t bad during the storm but has been moderately heavy since. So it’s too rough to paddle in. Peter and the boys have had better luck now that the muddy water from the mountains has washed into the lagoon. The fish aren’t so skittish and are finding their way into everyone’s nets. Peter is still netting later than everyone else though and having better luck. Of course the full moon helped too. And we’ll have a ½ moon for another week. So he’s been making pretty good money.

And so, life goes on, without shade for a while, for the Fatboy in Belize… But I’m still happy and loving it! As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

We were spared the wrath of Hurricane Richard!

Hurricane Richard is expected to cross the entire country of Belize from east to west, arriving sometime Sunday night/Monday morning, 10/24-25, before heading into southern Mexico and northern Guatemala. It is predicted to hit us as a category 1 storm with winds of 85mph. I’ve already decided to move my trailer back up onto the cemetery road early Sunday morning and have arranged the move with Landy, who moved me prior to TS Matthew. I’ll be in the same spot, some 4 feet higher than I sit at Kismet so that’s about 6 feet above sea level. I began my preparations around 1pm on Saturday to be ready for my move. Here’s a synopsis of my preparations for the storm and of the storm as it traveled past:

Saturday 10/23: The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) has warned everyone living on the Cayes and in low lying areas (naming Hopkins) to begin preparations to move to the designated shelters on Sunday. At 10:30am, after our guests left I went to Thong’s Café for an ice coffee and the internet to check on the storm and the predictions for wind and rainfall that we can expect. They say we could get 15+ inches of rain so I made up my mind to move to higher ground. I met with Landy, who works at the Hopkins Bay Resort in the maintenance shop, to set a time for him to pull me up to the cemetery road. We decided on 7:30am. He needs to do it early because they will leave work at noon. Next I went to the store for a new 5 gallon bottle of Crystal water for drinking purposes. I keep it and it’s dispenser on the back center right side of my tab (easy to fill my drink bottles and it distributes the 40 pound weight over the table leg. Then I went and bought 4 gallons of gas for my generator. I already have a full tank (3 gallons good for 3-4 days) because I want to be sure that I have enough. The gas was US$5.75 a gallon. Back at Kismet I added air to my trailer tires, put the generator on my back travel deck, disconnected everything but my electric, and stored some my outdoor use things in the tool room so they don’t get water logged or float away. Inside I started lowering and weight distributing a couple of items. I was done by 4pm. I have to save my TV and VCR move (above my bed) for tomorrow because I leave that on the bed for travel. The rest of the day/night I gave to my normal activities of reading and watching “The Wire”. I started season 1 episode 1 last night (Friday) and will work my way through the end of season 5.

Sunday 10/24: The radio is telling us that Richard will come ashore right over Silkgrass/ Hopkins/Sittee River later tonight but that we will begin feeling the effects by 9am this morning. At 7:30am we could see the leading edge moving closer. At 8:30 the rain began but with light winds. Hopefully the extra 4 feet higher I will be will be enough to keep me above any flooding. Landy finally came for me at 11:15am and I was totally ready having moved my TV to the bed, filled my fresh water tank, disconnected the electric, and raised the 4 leveling jacks. He was late because his company sent him over to the new home construction site to board windows there. He normally isn’t involved in that but with the storm coming faster than originally anticipated they pulled him in. All we had left to do was raise the front of my trailer to receive the hitch ball on the back of his truck. The move went very easily and I’m perched on the far right hand side of the highest point of the road. Now it’s just a waiting game. The storm prediction now is for a category 2 and winds of 100mph, arriving between 5 and 6pm. With the increase in predicted wind I decided to move myself to the shelter at Holy Family catholic School on the south end. I packed up a few necessaries, plus my external hard drive with all my movies and settled in at the shelter around 2pm, well in advance of the storm. I thought that maybe, while the power was still on, I could keep the kids entertained by showing Disney movies. I started with “The Princess and the Frog” (2010) and had the kids sitting on the floor watching it. At 5pm things started happening almost as if on a switch. The wind rose to near 50mpm and a torrential downpour started. At 5:10pm we lost power and put an end to any more movies. By 6 the wind was blowing fiercely at somewhere around 80mph. The storm is now predicted to cross into Belize closer to Gales Point (15 miles north of Dangriga and 24 miles north of Hopkins), which is a blessing for us because the heaviest winds only extend out 15 miles, so we shouldn’t see the 100+ speeds. By 9pm things were looking much better, with the wind and rain both having slacked off. The wind was down to 40-45mph and the rain was moderate. The 2 NEMO people at the shelter made a driving inspection of the village to see what damaged had been caused around 9pm and made a special visit to my home for me and reported that it was ok. By 10pm it was calm enough for me to head home. I didn’t see any downed trees or home damage. My trailer was just the way I left it. We are without cell and land line phone service too. Thank God we were spared!

Monday 10/25: We still don’t have electricity in the village. Peter came by at 7am. He has some minor roof damage and lost 2 trees. He said he didn’t see anything but some thatch roof damage on his ride down to Kismet. Kismet had small puddles in Tricia’s apartment and 1 bedroom of the upper guest room because their windows couldn’t be completely closed. There was absolutely no flooding on the property and no surf damage to the beach. The power is still out a 9am and I’ve powered up my generator so I can continue this. I’ll go see Landy after I have my breakfast and schedule my move back home. Fishing in the lagoon later on today!

Tuesday 10/26: The electricity came back on in the village around noon and cell service by 2pm. Plus it’s moving day. Landy moved me back to Kismet around 5:30pm but I’m not completely set up yet. While cranking my hitch off of the back of Landy’s truck something in the handle snapped and we weren’t able to raise my trailer off the ball. After trying unsuccessfully to fix it I decided that we’d have to use my floor jack to get me unhitched. I leveled it out as best I could. Trouble with that is that, even after deploying the leveling jacks, I can’t get the jack out and I’m 2” high in the front. That doesn’t seem like an awful lot but you definitely notice it when you are walking back and forth in my trailer. I turned out the problem is that the jack handle has a gear mounted on it that had 2 tiny posts that kept the gear locked in place. When you crank the handle that gear turns another that cranks the jackpost up and down. They both sheared off so that the gear just sat there. So now I have to wait until I find someone with a portable welding machine weld that gear on so I can level my trailer. I’ll also have to find someone with 2 jacks so I can jack up the front of my trailer so I can remove the floor jack so I can use the trailer leveler again. I also have to take a trip into Dangriga on Wednesday so I can buy a covered outdoor electrical outlet to plug my electric into. During the storm something hit the one that was there and shattered it. I plugged my trailer power cord inside one of the rooms until I can fix that. But…I’m back home again at Kismet.

Normal Stuff: Peter may have prevented a possible fire last night (Tuesday 10/26) when he asked me to come take a look at a circuit breaker that kept popping in the tool room. The tool room lights, electrical outlets and the water pump are all on that circuit. He pointed out where he had seen sparks near the water pump and then reset the breaker. As soon as he did sparks started jumping in a 4ft piece of the wire and then started to burn. I had him shut the breaker again and the flame went out in a few seconds. Had he left it on, and the pump kicked on, the place may have burned down and taken my trailer with it since I’m parked so close, 6 feet from a thatched overhang. So tomorrow I’ll replace that piece of wire and check the run that feeds it for more breaks. The wiring in the entire building is a nightmare and if this was the U.S. and an inspector does his thing he/she would immediately condemn the place as unsafe. The plumbing isn’t much better…

I got a delicious gift on Saturday the 23rd. I had just finished dinner and was watching episode 3 of “The Wire” when I hear one of Peter’s daughters call my name. Going to the door I found her standing there with a platter containing 6 Caribbean sweet rolls that Myra had just made. I told her to tell Myra thank you and I love her! I had one while it was hot and have bagged the rest for eating with orange marmalade…my very favorite! I used another for my hamburger dinner on Sunday before heading for the shelter and 1 for my chicken salad sandwich at the shelter. Absolutely delicious!

I found out that I have an unexpected house guest. It’s either a lizard or a mouse. I think it’s a mouse though as I found some droppings in my bathroom that look like they came from a rodent. I was sitting on my couch watching an episode of “The Wire” and happened to look back in the direction of my bedroom. I saw something dart out from under my linen closet door and run into the bathroom. I guess I’ll have to add a mouse trap to my shopping list and take a trip under my trailer to see where it got in and close the hole so I don’t have any more unwanted quests. It’s my 1st but Tricia seems to have a few of them. They may have been driven in by the storm.

I’m going to have trailer company sometime in November. Zeppi’s brother-in-law Louie is dragging a trailer down to South America (Uruguay I think) and will park at Kismet for a month before heading out. You remember my fishing buddy Zeppi who stayed at kismet in April. He lives in north Jersey. I’m not sure where Louie will park it. We’ll have to machete out a spot for him I guess.

And life goes safely on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Praying for the best, preparing for the worst with TS Richard.

The weather has been wonderful these past 2 weeks. Maybe it’s to make up for the tropical storm and 2 near misses. Days around 90, nights around 70 (nice sleeping weather), sunny skies, not much wind, and not too many bugs. We had about 10 minutes of rain on Saturday but nothing since. I wish it would stay like this forever! Now that I’ve said that we’ll get a hurricane…

And now for the hurricane I mentioned above! Belize and I are now making preparations for the arrival of Tropical Storm Richard on Sunday. I’m at Thong’s Café using the internet to try and get rainfall predictions so I can make plans to move to my high water spot if I need to. I’ll need to buy a couple of gallons of gas for my generator and a new 5 gallon bottle of drinking water to replace what I’ve just emptied through normal usage. I’ve plenty of food, plus I keep a hurricane larder of canned food in a plastic storage bin on the right side of my bed. At the moment it’s sunny and bright but we’ve had a period of windy rain this morning. I’m sure this is just the calm before the storm. This will be our 4th storm warning with Alex (the day Dave arrived), Karl, and Matthew the last 3 storms. We’ve been lucky so far and I hope our luck isn’t running out. The TV news outlets will broadcast out fate and I’ll update this after the storm passes with how we made out.

We’ve had 3 guests at Kismet since Wednesday and they left today (a scheduled departure) for their homes in Humble TX (near Houston). Two of the ladies, Sheila and Denise are frequent visitors and will be back in late November and both are wonderful people. Sheila brought her son Kenny with her and it’s his 1st time in Belize. More on him later. Denise and Sheila both work for Continental Air Lines and Sheila plans to retire in February and spend a couple weeks each month here in Hopkins.

Since the fishing has been so poor at the mouth of the lagoon I took a canoe trip into it this morning (Saturday 10/16) at 6am to try my luck. Well it was my lucky day! I went about a ½ mile in to where there is a canal that stretches out through the savannah to Hopkins Road (about a ½ mile further on). I’d fished there before and had a bit of luck. This morning though things went my way. Three catfish, 2 snook, 2 snapper went on my stringer, and my 1st brown stingray. What a fight he gave! It was actually pulling my canoe and anchor (well not so much an anchor as a gallon jug filled with wet sand) around the canal. Too cool! It was 16” across and about 3-1/2 feet long. I wasn’t sure if it was edible though so I threw it back (and they aren’t). Hey! I’m up for eating anything new! I gave the 2 snook to Peter and will have the snapper for Sunday dinner. The catfish are in the freezer with my last catch and will make a good southern fried dinner later in the week. Since then I’ve been taking my canoe out every morning and doing quite well, catching lots of snapper and catfish. On Wednesday afternoon I got a new fishing buddy. Kenny brought his fishing pole with him so I invited him fishing in the morning. Needless to say he jumped at the chance. We had a great time, coming back with 6 nice snapper and I got another catfish. He and I had the snapper for dinner that night. Nothing like fresh caught fish on the grill! Peter has been fishing later at night lately, around 8:30pm and doing pretty well each night with a mix of stone bass and snook. Tuesday (10/19) night he netted close to 40 pounds and I managed to catch a couple small drum. Wednesday he netted around 25 pounds. Thursday was another 25 pounds but Friday was a bust with only about 8 pounds. Hopefully things on the fishing front are turning around after the storm. We need some cloudier water to get the fish close to shore for his net. It’s a tough way to support a wife and 5 kids!

Trish had to extend her stay in the states. Steve called her and told her he was having a medical problem and asked that she come out to LA to help him. Not the best reason for an extended stay but you do what you have to for friends. She’s due home now on Wednesday 10/27.

And life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Ron and other things

Ron made his triumphant return to Hopkins 6 hours after I wrote that he should be here in the next day or 2. He actually did leave 2 weeks before but, because of Tropical Storm Matthew and other heavy rains, he was forced to spend days in several locations because of flooding and bridges that had been washed away. That happened mainly between Tampico and Veracruz. He was also “taken” by Mexican police to the tune of US$400 or so for various “traffic violations”. So he was pretty broke until he got to the Belize border and could hit an ATM (Belize bank ATMs don’t have the fancy Visa logo on them so they are only good in-country). After the internet I went to the lagoon to fish and told Peter of the Ron related emails that I’d received and that he should be here in the next day or 2. Peter said. “Better yet he’ll be here tonight because I just talked to him.” Ron drove directly to Kismet to let Peter and I know he was home. He arrived in a beat up 1982 Mazda pickup that was carrying far over the estimated load capacity of the truck. To counterbalance the load in the back he actually stored some very heavy steel tools under the hood to keep the front wheels in contact with the road. So we all sat and talked for an hour about his trip and how he almost became part of the Mexican highway system when he nearly drove into a car sized pot hole. Remember my recounting looking into several on my recent trip to Houston to see if there were any cars or small trucks in the bottom of the craters I passed? He did however bend a rim and flatten a tire as he swerved to miss it. He said there were 6 cars just passed the hole that had blown multiple tires because they weren’t quick enough to see it. After a while Ron said he was hungry so we headed to Rainbow Chinese because he said he’d been jonesing for “good fried chicken” the whole time he was home in Nebraska. That boy has definitely turned Belizean if that’s all he was dreaming of! Fried chicken dinners come start at BZ$6 (1 piece) and go to BZ$10 (1/2 chicken) and he bought the biggest. He’s normally a light eater so it was funny to see him attacking the portion he ordered. And he finished it too! He spent the night at Kismet and Thursday morning Peter and I followed him home and helped unpack his treasures. Good thing he stayed at Kismet too because he couldn’t unlock his door and had to break in. Breaking into a home in the dead of night anywhere, even your own, is risky because you never know when a neighbor is looking out the window and calls the cops. Since there are no addresses here in Hopkins no one has ID that shows where they live. AND the constable in Hopkins is new so he and Ron have never met. I’m sure it would have gotten straightened out after a while but it’s not something you want to be dealing with at midnight. We’re glad he’s home now and he says he is feels no need to ever go back to the states. He jokingly told his ex-wife not to die because he wouldn’t be there for the funeral. (They are on very friendly terms. She actually takes care of his U.S. finances and wire transfers his social security check to his Belizean bank.)

I’ve booked my Christmas trip to Orlando. I’ll be headed there on December 21 and return to Belize on January 2nd. It’s all the time allowed by government regulation n order to keep following the Visa process to gain residency status. You aren’t allowed to be out of the country for more than 13 consecutive days. And since I want to restart the process, delayed by my Mexican fiasco with my brother Dave in July, I need to follow the rules. You can apply for residency after 1 year of entering the country. So, I’m looking forward to my shortened holiday with my kids with great anticipation!

We had a cold front pass through today (wow it’s down to 75 instead of 90!) so I thought it would be a good day to make a big pot of chicken soup. I’ve had a hankering for soup since Ron mentioned that he made a pork neck bone soup the other day. So I biked to Middle Store and picked out a whole chicken. I normally only buy breasts or thigh/leg portions but I though a while one would be better in the pot to make my starter stock. On opening the package I decided that I’d only need half as the whole was too big for my pot, even though I picked the smallest chicken I could find. The neck was still attached so I cut that off. Anyway I went to the backside and started pulling out the “extra” meat they normally stuff in. Out came the gizzard, heart, and liver. And what to my surprise…both feet! Not something you find in U.S. chicken packages! Thinking about my wives and the reaction they would have had to finding the feet inside made me laugh. I’d have been picking the feet, and the chicken, off the floor followed by trying to calm them down. In Belize you can walk into almost any grocery story and find whole 5 gallon paint type buckets filled with chicken feet and pig ears for sale. They are a regular staple here with red beans and rice. I’ve never had them before…I don’t think. I never ask what’s in a dish. I learned that when I was in Asia. Just eat it and, if you like it, eat more. If not then beg off saying you are full so as not to offend the cook. Anyway, into the pot the feet went. I figured that, if nothing else, they would add flavor, along with the spices. After simmering the chicken for 2 hours I added all the necessary veggies and simmered it some more. I also add egg noodles just before it finished. I love chicken soup! Actually I love any home made soup. I’ve made ham and pea, veggie (with beef stock), and 4bean soup since I’ve been here. It’s good for a couple of meals and is just…plain…good! As for the feet, they were just fat and most of it cooked off. No taste really so 2 of the 4 dogs ate them.

And life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Just in! News about Ron.

Great news! I got an email that said Ron crossed into Mexico at Brownsville last Friday. He should be here any day now. It sure will be good to see that boy again!

And life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize…

On Monday 10/4 I finally moved my home back to Kismet. Thank God! While I didn’t have any problems living up on the road it was a bit of a bother taking a 500 hundred foot bike ride for a shower every night. Plus my fresh water tank was almost empty. I could have wheel barreled a couple of 5 gallon bottles of water up the driveway and up the hill and hand pumped it into my tank. But since I’m retired and lazy… So now I’m back in my spot and a full tank and a short shower walk again. I leveled my home as best I could but it’s an inch low on the left side but that can wait until tomorrow when I have light to see my level and can a jack to make it easier. One thing that did change though, besides not having the palapa overhead, is that we knocked a concrete pillar down backing the trailer in but that’s a good thing. It really wasn’t doing anything anyway. Now I can extend my awning (am I tempting fate yet again? Some would say that the 3rd time is the charm though) and have a nice shaded sitting area right outside my door.

We’ve heard no news from Ron. Last I talked to him he was leaving for Hopkins the next day and that was 2 weeks ago. Hopefully he hasn’t left the states yet. Hopefully his 25 year old pickup truck didn’t break down or hasn’t had an accident. I’m getting worried about him and I have no way of contacting him as he doesn’t have a cell phone that works internationally. I haven’t heard anything more from Tricia other that she is having a great time visiting with Bruce. They’ve been shopping and she’s eating up a storm, filling herself with everything she hasn’t had a chance to eat in the 8 years she’s been in Belize. She is in San Francisco visiting her BFF for the next 10 days. We miss her but don’t want her to think of us and enjoy being away from Kismet for a while. Peter and his wife Myra have the place almost all spiffed up now. Another day or 2 and they will be finished. On October 8th there are 2 people coming to stay for 10 days. Maybe a Caye fishing/snorkeling trip in the near future???

Have you ever seen a million of anything? Peter and I stood and watched amazed at 30 minutes of what seemed like an endless stream of dragonflies flying over and around us in on Monday. The stream was probably 200 feet wide and hundreds of feet in the air with literally thousands in each vertical foot. They poured in from the coast and headed inland. I thought I’d seen a lot of them when I was driving from here to Houston a month or so ago but this put that sight to shame. It was an incredible sight. There had to be more than a million. So now I can say I’ve seen a million of something.

And life goes on for the Fatboy in Belize… As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Great news about Tricia and the non-hurricane.

Tricia was released from jail on Friday and is now in Maine! Bruce called to tell us she was on her way to his house. On Saturday I called and talked to Tricia. She said the whole matter was dropped. The reason she had been arrested was because her lawyer didn’t appear in court as he promised to and a bench warrant was issued. So she is now free and clear of all charges and will be spending 40 days in Maine and San Francisco before coming home. THANK GOD!!!

I guess I should stop extending my trailer awning. The 1st time I did it was a few days after arriving in Dangriga. I was prepared for windy days as I had purchased several of those spiral dog leash holders that screw into the ground and a couple of come-along straps to stiffen the awning. That night we had a tremendous thunderstorm that actually pulled 1 of the holders out of the ground and snapped the other. I was sure that I’d find my awning in tatters. Well today (Thursday 9/23) I partially extended it to provide a bit more shade in the afternoons. Peter came by and gave me the news that a yet to be names tropical storm was headed our way. So tonight I had to untie the awning and retract it again. What are the odds that the 2 times I’ve extended it are the 2 times huge storms have hit???

Peter and I spent Friday preparing Kismet and my trailer for Matthew. We figured we’d get everything done today so we don’t have to do it on the rain on Saturday. We moved chairs, lounges, tables, and anything else that could become missiles in hurricane force winds into the tool room or under the building. We placed my gas generator high up on the back of my trailer for when the power fails and moved my tent and screen house higher off the floor in the tool room to keep in dry in the flooding that we expect from all the rain we’ll get. We have water stored for drinking, cooking, and the toilets too. Now that I don’t have a car I worry more about the flooding. I can live with a foot of water around me but much higher and it will get into the bottom of my trailer. I’ll pack up all the things of value for a quick escape. I am always prepared for a hasty move so there’s no worry there. I didn’t mention moving my solar panels to higher ground. Someone stole them Thursday nite/Friday morning. Stupid is as stupid does though. They cut the wires to the converter box and only took the panels. Peter and I will keep a look out and an ear open. Someone will say something about them. Plus, no one has solar panels in Hopkins so they will abandon them somewhere soon enough when they find out they can’t use them. Anyway…we’re as ready as we can be for the storm.

As we sit here Friday night listening to the radio the forecast has changed. They are now predicting gale force winds and rain to start early Saturday morning with 8-12 inches of rain just on Saturday. That leaves Sunday, Monday, and possibly Tuesday to add to the rainfall totals. I’m guessing that Tricia’s story of waist deep water in a previous story may be equaled or exceeded. We’ve already lost between 2-3 feet of beach during the incoming tide and that means the buffer that protects the Kismet property. If that’s the case my home won’t make it. I’ve gotten the important things together as well as enough clothing to last me until I can replace what I think I’ll lose. My trailer has been a wonderful home and will be a big loss for me if the worst case scenario comes true. I’m not sure what I’ll do… It’s 9pm mountain time and it just started raining very hard. The winds are what they normally would be so far. A tropical Storm warning has just been issued by the Belize government for the next 24 hours and they are recommending people in low laying coastal areas and the Cayes to begin moving to higher ground on the mainland. Our evacuation center is at mile marker 25 on the Hummingbird Hwy, just at the foot of the Mayan Mountains. Hmmm??? Any chances of mud slides???

When I woke up Saturday morning, after a night of torrential rain, I had 6” of water around my trailer and ½ of the Kismet property was underwater too. All of the bottom rooms were flooded as well. I walked to the beach side and saw that the waves were breaking over the berm and water was running down toward the back where my trailer and the flooded driveway out were. Not what I needed to see! I only needed less than a foot of water before the bottom of my trailer would start flooding. The weather forecast was still calling for up to 15” of rain between now and Wednesday. So I made the decision to move to higher ground. So after Peter and I moved the mattresses from the 2 lower rooms out to the upper deck of the cabana I went off to see if our friend Tonic was still around. He has a farm tractor and I knew he was moving his belongings to a family member’s house in Dangriga. He was already gone and his wife said he wouldn’t be back with the tractor. I asked Peter if he knew anyone and he suggested a guy who worked at Hopkins Bay Resort next door. He was available and came in short order. I had everything disconnected in short order and things in the trailer secured. What I didn’t notice was that one of the palapa support posts was between the rear of my trailer and the back tow deck on the trailer. So as the guys started pulling the trailer out the palapa started coming with it. I quickly got him stopped but the damage was already done. Peter and I got the tow deck off and the tow began again. He stopped with the rear of my trailer at the front of the palapa to make the turn into the driveway. Down came the palapa and it tore a hole in the rear wall and a jagged strip on the right rear side, both of which I’ve duct taped already. So my palapa is in a heap and will need to be removed before I can come back home. I’m across from the end of the driveway on a little used road but it’s a good 4 feet higher than I was so I’m safe now. This afternoon cleared up and we had sunny skies while I helped Peter add shoring posts to his house in case of high winds. While he was holding one of the 12 foot 6X10” beams up against the bottom of his house (8 feet off the ground) it slipped and bounced off the left side if my head. Boy did I see stars! No blood but a huge goose egg. I said it could have knocked some sense into me but Peter assured me that it didn’t because I wasn’t headed to the airport to move back to the states. (Since them I’ve cut my left foot on a conch shell and sprained and cut my big right toe. I’m the walking wounded this week!) So anyway it seems that the storm is back to being a tropical depression and there is no news on the radio about where it’s headed. But the rain is still in the forecast and that will be a big problem. Since this is the rainy season, and we’ve had plenty, any more than 10 inches of rain will flood most low laying areas of the country and ruin the crops that are ready for harvest. We’ll still keep a weather eye open and I won’t move back onto Kismet until Thursday at the earliest. Thank God the storm died before devastating Belize! We still have some clean up from the heavy rains to do here but nothing like it would have been had we gotten the 15 inches of rain and/or tropical storm/hurricane force winds. It’s Tuesday now and we’ve had some rain but not what they’ve predicted. I’m having my trailer moved back home tomorrow. It will be nice being there again even though I’m only a couple hundred feet away.

I’m in Belmopan today. I just picked up my replacement passport. Headed back to Hopkins in an hour or so.

As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Back home and a possible huricane

I finally got to sleep in my own bed Monday night (9/20)! As much as I love to travel I always look forward to my own bed and pillow after a while. I guess it’s just the feeling of home, and comfort, and peace that makes me long for it. It’s always been that way for me. Of course that won’t stop me from heading home to Orlando for Christmas or any other adventure I chose. I know my bed will be here when I get back…

Tuesday, September 21, happy birthday to Peter and to Belize. Peter is 53 and Belize is 29. Belize gained their independence from the British in 1981, although it wasn’t Belize that wanted it. Great Britain was basically bankrupt and started giving independence to those countries that were of little value. Of course they kept places like the Bahamas and British Virgin Islands because they are tourist meccas that bring in millions of tax dollars every year. Belize is the sadder for it as it has never been able to truly make anything of itself. Sad to say it will always be a poor 3rd world country. The government is corrupt and does not want its citizens to be educated basically past the 8th grade. Should the population become educated they would know what their government has done to them, kept them down trodden while lining their pockets. There are a lot of stories of government officials being caught through the years but no one seems to want to do anything about it. It’s so sad because these are a really nice, friendly people who will always be poor and have no future in our world.

Independence Day here is nothing like in the U.S. No city, town or village celebrations to speak of and no firework displays. I did see 2 BBQs here in Hopkins but that may or may not have been to celebrate their independence. There were no flags or banners, no signs, or anything. Me, I made an Independence Day seafood gumbo (crab, shrimp and snapper) and fed Peter and Felix before we went afternoon fishing. Peter took a day off from the net and used his hand line as did Felix. I was the only one who caught anything though, 2 nice size snappers, one black and 1 red, that I gave to Peter and 1 black that I threw back to get bigger. I’ll catch him another day. We all had a good time though. We were done by 6pm and Peter and Felix went home to his birthday meatloaf (his favorite) and hopefully a chocolate cake.

Fishing has been iffy for everyone the past 2 weeks. Some of it is due to the weather, including Tropical Storm Karl and several other days of heavy rains. The recession, and lack of tourists, has put many people out of work including Myra. I’ve never seen so many men throwing net and hand line fishing just to put food on their family table since I moved here. The lagoon is crowded in the evening. They are keeping the smallest of fish. Fish they would have released in the past. It’s sad to see. Monday night, my 1st fishing trip, resulted in a really nice catfish and a decent snapper, both of which I gave to Peter. My freezer is still full so I don’t need fish. But, as any fisherman knows, it’s fun to just get out there and catch and release if nothing else. For me it’s very relaxing. Of course, since I’m not feeding a family, I don’t have the pressure to catch anything so I guess that has a bit to do with it. Tuesday the fishing picked up for both Peter and me. I got a couple of snappers both in the morning evening sessions. In the evening we both stayed after everyone else left and Peter made a killing in stone bass, snook and mullet, probably 35-40 pounds. So he’ll have a nice payday on Wednesday after he cleans them.

Peter and Myra are running Kismet and doing a great job of it. They plan to serve breakfast lunch and dinner as well and will begin advertising that fact in the next couple of days. It’s been a long time dream of Peter’s to have a place serving fish fillet sandwiches. Now he has the opportunity to fulfill his dream. Myra has cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom and Peter and his son Felix are clearing overgrown vegetation all around the property and have raked the beach. Kismet is looking nice again. Sad to say things had not been done since Steve and the bad boys came and the upsetment with them. I know it was hard on Tricia, which put her in a funk, and kept her from hiring people to do the necessary yard work. Now that’s taken care of and all she has to worry about is herself.

According to the weather reports it looks like we will be under a hurricane in a couple of days. Right now it's a tropical depression (#15) that is slated to hit Nicaragua and Honduras and head north over Guatemala, Belize and the MX Yucatan. The forecast has it as a category 1 until it hits the Gulf Of Mexico and then building as it heads toward the U.S. Hopefully we'll be OK. I guess I better start filling sand bags because the water table is very high right now and is just inches below the surface.

As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!

Almost in Hopkins and Tricia update

Hmmm… As soon as I cleared customs and immigration in Belize I placed a call to Peter to see if he’d heard from our friend Tricia. It seems that she was arrested in Miami on 3very serious federal charges. He said she thought she was safe because of the statute of limitations having expired in New York. She’s been out of the states for 8 years. Well it seems there is no limitation on federal crimes so she was on a watch list and they got her as she stepped off the plane.. He didn’t know the particulars about the crimes though. Her arraignment is set for September 24th and he has been trying to arrange for a lawyer for her. My guess is she will have to use a court appointed lawyer though since she is basically broke. And, since the charges are federal, she is still in Miami and her trial will be held in the federal court in Dade County. With her past history she is a flight risk so it doesn’t look like bail is a possibility either. Another thing Peter said was that he was told the court is severely backed up and it could be a year before her trial. Not a good thing!!! We need our friend Tricia back at Kismet.

I had a 2nd phone conversation with Peter later Sunday night and he said that he and his wife Myra are taking care of Kismet. Either he or she spends the night there and Myra, when she isn’t working, is the cook for anyone wanting dinner. He’s also been keeping up with email reservations from her website. So that’s one less worry for Tricia. Ron and I talked on the phone as well. He’s still in Omaha but is planning to drive back starting at noon on Monday. He bout an 86 Toyota pick up truck that he said is severe;y overloaded with the tools that he is bringing down now that he is making Belize his permanent home. So we should see him in about a week or so. It will be nice to have him back again and he will be a big help around Kismet as well.

Peter also said that Steve is checking into a drug treatment clinic in Cancun on Monday. He’s working out the payment arrangements. Hopefully he will be diligent and listen to what he’ sees and hears in the group and private sessions and takes it to heart and turns his life around.

Now that all that is out of the way… I’m almost back home in Hopkins. The bus ride to Belize city was fine, not up to the ADO (Mexican company) standards but comfortable and 2 I met a German couple who live in a small house behind the Wind Chief Bar in Hopkins, and 2 young girls, Australian medical students, who will be working for 2 months in the cancer clinic in Dangriga. We got to Belize City at 2:15pm, just missing the 2:30pm Maya Island Air flight to Dangriga because it’s a 20 minute taxi ride to the airport. So I was forced to sit for 2 hours until the 4:30 flight. That also meant that I would miss the 5pm because the flight gets into Riga too late for a taxi ride to the bus depot and last Hopkins bus of the day. I wanting to sleep in my own bed Sunday night but it galled me to pony up US$60 for a cab, when the bus costs only US$3.50. So I spent the night at Val’s Guest Hostel (where I’d spent so many hours using the internet keeping up with all of you) for US$10.50 and had a fried chicken for dinner (US$2.50) a spent a nice quiet night watching the 3:47 hour 1962 movie “Lawrence of Arabia” starring Peter O’Toole. As a side note I last saw that movie when I was 11, growing up in Oak Lawn. I remember my Mom taking the 7 of us kids to Walgreen’s Drug store every Saturday and giving us 25 cents for candy (you could buy 5 candy bars for a quarter then) and dropping us off for the day at the Coral Theater with the 25 or 50 cent admission (I can’t remember) and enough money to buy a soda. Those were the days of double feature movies and a cartoon or 2. Its one of my fond memories of growing up. Anyway, the taxi driver who brought me to Val’s from the airport told me he was headed for Hopkins Monday morning to pick someone up so he offered to bring me home for US$10 at 9:30am in the morning and I took him up on it. I’ll hit the vegetable market before hand and stock up on fruit and veggie. Later in the morning Peter will drop off the fishing gear that I lent to Joe and James before I left and, later today,I’ll be happily fishing in the lagoon again! It’s the one thing I continually miss when I’m away from home.

And…I’ll be finally be sleeping in my own bed tonight!

As always, stay well, keep happy, and practice peace. I am!!!